Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Police chief spurns monkey idea

Mesa Police Chief Dennis Donna does not see a monkey in the SWAT team’s future.

The chief responded Monday to a Tribune article and multiple national news inquiries about a Mesa SWAT officer who asked the U.S. Department of Defense to fund a monkey for use in SWAT situations.

"The purchase of a capuchin monkey has not been considered by executive staff," Donna said in a news release put out by a Mesa spokeswoman.

The release said SWAT officer Sean Truelove had submitted an "inquiry" to the Defense Department to explore if the idea was workable, but the monkey had not been approved for the SWAT team and it was not part of an official police grant request.